The background
The 2026 NHS staff standards set out six compulsory minimum standards for NHS employers. The 2026-27 National Oversight Framework explains how providers will be assessed against these standards and how employers will be held accountable for meeting them.
The standards apply mainly to acute, ambulance, mental health and community trusts. Other NHS organisations can also use them to improve staff experience.
The six standards
The Social Partnership Forum which brings together NHS employers, trade unions and government has welcomed the publication of the standards. They cover:
1. Line management
Staff can expect supportive, fair, developmental and compassionate line management, enabled by employer support for line managers, to help staff to perform well, feel valued and fulfil their potential.
2. Health and wellbeing
Staff can expect their organisation to protect their health, safety and wellbeing at work. Employers are responsible for supporting staff wellbeing, preventing ill-health associated with work and helping staff to feel safe, cared for and able to perform well.
3. Violence prevention and reduction
Staff have a right to feel safe and supported at work, in an environment that takes meaningful action to prevent violence, aggression, intimidation or abuse in any form.
Staff should have access to simple, safe and supportive channels for reporting violence in the workplace; timely, compassionate support after any violent or harmful incident; and the right training to equip them with the confidence and knowledge to keep themselves and others safe.
4. Championing sexual safety
Staff have a right to feel safe and supported at work, in an environment that is free from sexual harassment, abuse and unwanted or inappropriate sexual behaviours. Staff can expect their organisation to:
- take clear, consistent action to prevent sexual misconduct and harassment;
- promote a culture of transparency and openness that ensures incidents are reported and acted upon promptly and appropriately;
- provide training on how to recognise and report inappropriate behaviours;
- and use a victim-centred approach, with support provided to those affected and lessons learned to reduce the risk of future incidents.
5. Tackling racism
Staff can expect their organisation to take sustained and meaningful action to prevent and root out racism and discrimination in the workplace (encompassing all forms of violence, abuse and/or harassment from patients and/or service users, their relatives, members of the public and staff), ensuring staff experience safe working environments and a supportive culture where they can expect restorative support, clear accountability and defined consequences in the organisation.
6. Promoting flexible working
NHS staff can expect flexible working (flexibility in how, where and when they work) to be openly encouraged and supported, fairly and equitably considered, and embedded into everyday practice, creating a ’flexible first’ culture, rather than treated as an exception.
Requests must be considered objectively and not unreasonably refused, and where they cannot be agreed, alternatives will be explored.
What to expect from your employer
The NHS staff standards provide guidance for employers on what actions they are expected to take. It is recommended that local BMA representatives familiarise themselves with these actions to ensure they are informed on what to expect from their local organisations. Read a detailed breakdown of the actions required from employers (Gov.UK).
What you can do
Implementation of the NHS staff standards will require sustained cooperation between employers, staff, and local BMA representatives.
If you believe that these standards are not being met in your workplace, contact and raise the issue with your LNC (local negotiating committee).
The NHS staff standards were developed around the results of the 2025 NHS Staff Survey and it serves as a key tool for measuring employer adherence to the standards. Members are therefore encouraged to take part in these annual surveys as a key avenue for ensuring organisational accountability in the implementation of these standards.
Resources for local BMA representatives
There are resources available on the BMA website which provide guidance on some of the topics covered by the staff standards:
- For health and wellbeing guidance, download our mental wellbeing charter or use our mental wellbeing checklist to help you understand how well your workplace is supporting mental health. There are specific versions of the checklist tailored to resident doctors and medical students.
- Read our report on presenteeism and burnout, including recommendations for staff, local representatives, employers and governments.
- Review our recommendations around supporting staff mental health wellbeing in the NHS following the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Read our page on preventing violence and reducing violence towards staff for guidance on how both doctors and employers in the NHS can help prevent violence in the workplace.
- Read our report on delivering racial equality in medicine, including recommendations for employers, medical training bodies and governments.
- Read our guidance on discussing disability in the workplace and our report on disability and neurodivergence in the medical profession, including recommendations for employers and governments.
- Flexible working advice is also available on our website for doctors at both training and consultant levels.
- An outline of the steps providers should take to ensure the appropriate provision of staff facilities can be found in the our fatigue and facilities charter, alongside fatigue guidance for staff.
- Read our guidance for doctors on freedom of expression, which includes a framework for employers on how to respond to concerns.
- Access our guidance on sexual misconduct to gain more information on how to support staff who have been impacted by sexual harassment and what actions employers should be taken to prevent this. You can find out more about preventing sexual misconduct in the workplace and NHS England’s Sexual Safety charter in our webinar.